Stitching Sunday

I finished the Cowardly Lion on my, "Christmas in Oz," stocking and matching ornament.

And here is another installment in my video series about constructing these stocking kits. This one covers adding the stuffing to the appliqués.

Dog Update

Jenny and Tonka's new mom says they are all doing great! On Christmas morning, Tonka ripped open his presents...remember those photos I posted of him "opening" mail packages for me unexpectedly? Jenny just snuggled in her mom's lap and waited for the presents to be opened for her...that's the princess I raised! Great to see how happy they are, in their scarves with their smiling faces.

I have finally gotten my morning latté routine down. This will cut back on my visits to Starbucks...more money for stocking kits! It was easy to get the espresso maker for the cooktop...they are readily available...but the frothing device was a major search. I found the glass Melior beaker in Germany...looked everywhere in Paris for it but no luck...I don't know why...you can get a cappuccino in every restaurant so why not in your home?

Other obstacle...figuring out the milk with my lack of French language skills. The first milk I bought was sour and it was sold that way on purpose! A little Google research and I realized my ignorance. Most milk is sold as a canned good (not refrigerated) and after trying it...I like it! I would love to have some of this for my pantry shelves in Alaska...no more worrying about running out of milk.

Firsts on a Friday

Lots of little things today that are a first for me since arriving. 

While my friend Sandy was here she showed me how to use "FaceTime," with my iPhone. Wow...great way to avoid international charges when calling my kids plus we can see each other at the same time.  I noticed the program is even on my new Mac Pro. I called Zack this morning to try it out...it worked so well. I love living during the internet age!

Today I also figured out how to rent U.S. movies while in Paris. Netflix is blocked in France...I didn't know that and was counting on being able to use it here. Today I rented a movie from ITunes!!! And of course it was...

Moulin Rouge. One of my favorite movies. I love listening to musicals when I am sewing.

And that leads me to the biggest first for this Friday.

I finally had all the power cords and adapters to turn on my Bernina! I am really going to sew something. Really!

To celebrate I had a handful of my most favorite discovery in the local grocery store.

Dark Chocolate Peanut M & Ms. If these are not available in the U.S. please let me know now so I can start hoarding a stash to take back with me!

New Neighborhood

When my friends were here to visit...they introduced me to the travel guide about Paris by Rick Steves. It is now downloaded on my Kindle. We used the guide to pick a place to eat their first night here after our Musée Rodin outing. We tried a great little bistro within 15 minutes of the apartment. It is on a sweet street with many other great restaurants, Rue Cler.  

There is a market atmosphere on this street.

I need to hit this place in daylight. I was worried about the location because it is pretty close to the Eiffel Tower...sometimes the touristy places run a bit expensive...but this street is tucked a little off the beaten path so maybe that's why it doesn't have the usual gouging prices. Every place we went on the street had an English menu and all the waiters spoke excellent English. There is an American University in this area so I suspect the student population has a little to do with the slant toward Americans.

Here I am with my BFF, Sandy.

After dinner we headed to a Häagen Das Ice Cream store (it's right by the Starbucks).  My friend is an interior designer so we did some window shopping on the way.

And a bakery window...Sandy usually makes a Yule Log...Bûche de Noël in French.

The lovely florist...

And I like to start every visitor to our apartment off right with a walk by the Eiffel Tower on their first night.

The light show at the top of the hour...the clouds were not cooperating for photos.

And one more picture that I just adore...Sandy's daughter, Erin and my son Zack. Both 18. They spent  almost every day of the first two years of their lives together...then our husband's jobs took us to opposite ends of the country.

Day one completed. Zack headed back to Alaska the next morning. It then became a girls trip.

Musée Rodin

Just a few blocks from our apartment is a small museum devoted to the sculpture of Rodin. There are also changing exhibitions at the museum. It was a great pick for our first day. My friends arrived about 6 a.m. and by the time we were back to the apartment and had eaten...it was time for them to take a nap. I woke them up and we headed out the door about 3:30 p.m. which gave us plenty of time since the museum was open until 5:45 p.m.

I'm no art expert...this is just a glimpse of my world. This is the work I associate with Rodin, "The Thinker." Rodin was a sculptor who pushed outside the classical ideas of sculpture. Much of his renowned work is bronze sculpture. There was a special exhibit of his work in marble and his studies in clay. He is known for the technique, "non finito." Pretty sure that means...not finished. It was striking to see his smooth carving jutting out from a rough marble surface.

This piece is called, "The Hand of God," and is one I pulled from the museum's website. Spectacular.

Because Rodin worked in bronze there are duplicates of his work around the world. Many of the works in the museum were on display outside around the extensive grounds.  I must go back in the spring when the gardens are blooming.

We lost sight of my son and later found he went to the cafe just to the left of the reflecting pool and had a beer.  I thought it was funny to note...though the cafe I'm sure was not meant to be a diversion from the artwork at the museum...it was for my son who always seems to be hungry.

Many of the bronze sculptures we saw were repeated in the work, "Gates of Hell," which took Rodin 37 years to complete. I borrowed this photo from the internet. It was a dark, cloudy day when we visited the museum...my photos are a little dark.

Dante's Inferno is the inspiration for this piece. I greatly feel a lack of education when it comes to museum sites but I am enjoying learning. You can see, "The Thinker," sitting in the middle just under the top three figures. Rodin had over 200 figures in this piece...kind of like a compilation of many of his works.

This was my favorite piece...and I don't know who the sculptor is...I forgot...have to get the name next time. I know I'll be visiting this museum again.

Oh...and there were some bonus paintings inside one of the buildings. Some by Renoir and this Van Gogh. A nice little surprise.

And that was just the first two hours of my friends' five-day visit! 

Visiting American Assault Beaches of Normandy, France

What a week! My son finished his stay with us and my great friend and her daughter came to visit for five days. I have been over almost every part of Paris...and beyond.

The last big trip we did with my son was to Normandy. It was an emotional two-day visit. It's a little over a two-hour drive from Paris to the beaches of Normandy. The first day we visited the American Cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach in Colliville-sur-Mer. The United States has procured land for U.S. military cemeteries around the world. According to Wikipedia,

"France has granted the United States a special, perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of any charge or any tax. This cemetery is managed by the American government, under Congressional acts that provide yearly financial support for maintaining them, with most military and civil personnel employed abroad. The U.S. flag flies over these granted soils.^[1]"

This site is the resting place of 9,387 American military. Most died in the invasion of Normandy. Families of military were given the choice of burial places with only 30 percent choosing to have their loved ones buried in the country where they died throughout these international locations of American cemeteries.

There is a great museum at this sight with many moving displays. Most moving of all though, is the sight of all the grave markers on a bluff that overlooks Omaha beach. Here's a quick video of the view from the Memorial's statue, "The Spirit of American Youth Rising in the Waves," across the reflecting pool to the cemetery.

This is the cemetery where Steven Spielberg shot the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan," where the WW II veteran is visiting the grave of John Miller, Tom Hanks fictional character. The real name of the brothers that inspired the movie is, Niland, and two of the brothers are buried in this cemetery.

The second day we drove farther northwest to Utah beach where there is a spectacular museum. According to the museum's website,

"The Utah Beach museum was created in 1962 by Michel de Vallavieille, mayor of Sainte Marie du Mont from 1949 to 1991. He spent a lot of his time and his energy in creating and maintaining this museum to preserve the memory of those who landed on UTAH BEACH. The museum opened inside a old German bunker known under code name WN5. It is today the historical and symbolic center of the museum.

The site of Utah Beach is in permanent evolution to thank and pay tribute to all the men who gave or risked their life for our freedom."

 Bring your tissue. There were so many moving displays. One of the most memorable was a letter American Naval Admiral Moon wrote to his wife prior to the beach invasion. He wrote so many loving thoughts to her and to his children. He even asked that she remarry should he not return because he wanted her to be happy. There were also video testimonials playing throughout the museum by veterans retelling that day in their lives. 

These were dresses made from parachutes for French girls to wear in victory parades. 

I wish every American could visit these two sites.

Bucilla Stocking Construction #8

Demonstation of the Chain Stitch